Planet Tatooine

Din Djarin hated public transportation! Especially when they made him remove all of his weapons. However, it felt baffling to smile as he thought of Kia and the kid. He tries to force himself to think of anything else, but he is not able to control what his face is doing. Luckily his facial expressions are hidden underneath his helmet. Over the years he has become quite proficient in maintaining a neutral expression, a skill he has forced himself to learn after growing up with fiery temper.

He had gotten used to hiding underneath the visor of his helmet, and has enjoyed smirking at the foolishness of others without anyone detection. But all this smiling was unfamiliar to him, to a point that the muscles in his jaw are beginning to cramp up. The fact that he felt he had a reason to smile was even more strange. Kia and Grogu were constantly on his mind.

Finally landing on the familiar desert planet, Din made his way to Peli Motto's docking bay. Yet his dreams of purchasing a gunship similar to his old Razor Crest was a total let down, at least at first. What she showed him was totally different!

A starfighter! But not just any starfighter!A rundown and old Nabooian N-1 starfighter with missing parts and a leaking engine. Yet he trusts Peli's judgement so he agreed to help build it. He was in too much of a good mood to stay irritated with his situation.

"You seem chipper," Peli stated curiously, as if she knew something was off about him. "You're normally more...annoyed. Where's your unlucky companion?"

"I returned him to his own kind," Din replied stoically.

"Aw, why the hell did you do that?!" She teased. "I could've made good money off that thing. Open up a petting zoo."

Time flies by when you're working hard and soon he was able to take the ship out for a test drive. The ship is fast! Way faster than the Razor Crest ever was. The sure beats sitting on a public transport vessel among common folks! The high speed was such a rush of adrenaline, he immediately fell in love with the craft. Once he landed back on landing bay 3-5, Peli runs up to him with enthusiasm.

"Oh, by the way, an old friend of yours dropped by, said she was looking for you," she tells him.

"A friend of mine?"

"Don't worry. I told her I didn't know where you were. Then I locked her out and engaged the hanger security system."

"Did she tell you her name?"

"Fennec Shand!" A familiar, female voice echoed above them, startling them both. As Peli walked off to argue with her droids, Fennec jumps down to offer Din a job. "By any chance are you looking for work?" She asked.

"I could be."

"The pay is good," she says, tossing him a bag of credits.

"What's the bounty?"

"No bounty. We need muscle."

"Boba Fett."

"He sure would appreciate it."

"Tell him it's on the house," Din says, tossing her back the credits. "But first, I have to pay a visit to a little friend."

***

Planet Yavin 4

It was no Razor Crest but the old N-1 Starfighter drove so fast and smooth, and the engine is way more powerful than anything Din expected for something so small. A gift of chainmail, made of pure beskar melted down from his staff, was wrapped in cloth and placed safely in his pocket while he steered his ship towards the green planet below him.

As he approached the planet, he got a signal and follows it towards the direction it was coming from. Once he landed, a familiar blue and silver astromech droid greeted him.

"Hello friend, I'm looking for either Skywalker or Starflier."

The little droid beeps and spins around as he follows it into the woods. Eventually, he sees several spider construction droids collecting large boulders. They seem to be building some kind of structure.

"Is this where they are?"

When the droid shuts off, Din immediately got worried, "Hey, droid," he says as he walks up to it. "Hey! Don't shut off. Wake up," he continues as he waves his hands in front of it. Then as the spider droids began stacking stones and hollowed out tree branches, it made him feel quite confused, "Is that a bench? How long will I be waiting? Is anyone here? Anyone alive?" With a heavy, frustrated sigh, he goes to sit down on the bench created for him.

***

Planet Dantooine

For the past several hours, Kia has been working on clearing out debris and cutting back the vegetation that has overtaken her old covert. It's a lot of hard work, but luckily she only needs to clean out a living quarters and the armory, for now.

She does not know what to expect by coming here after all these years. The hours are long and tiresome. But as the hours tick she gets a strange feeling. As if something is about to happen, but she's not sure what. It's like a voice calling out to her as she clears out branches that has wrapped around the old forge.

Perhaps she could try turning on the communication system again. She's not entirely sure why she has decided to switch it back on, but it feels like the Force is talking to her. She turns on the generators then flips a switch and...more static of course.

Deciding to leave it on, she resumes her work on dusting off the old computers and ripping out the tall grass that has grown up through the floorboards. There's nothing she could do about the broken windows, but at least it's starting to look more like a home than a ghost town. Then all of a sudden, a faint voice is heard through the white noise of the radio.

"This is Mia Bragg of Clan Eldar...hello...static...is anyone there?!"

Kia froze in shock. Mia was her best friend. She survived? After all this time?! How?! Kia quickly leaped to the comlink, nearly losing her footing on her wild dash to the controls.

Kia picks up the microphone with shaking hands and holds it up to her mouth, then murmured, "Mia?"

"Kia? Is that you? I saw your signal and I've been trying to reach you for hours."

"I'm here, Mia."

"Oh, shit! It's good to hear your voice."

"Same here. I could really use your help. You will not believe what has happened."

"Tell me when I get there. I should arrive in 12 hours."

"I'll wait for you, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

"Would love to, see you soon. Over and out."

When the radio goes silent, a renewed sense of urgency flows through her veins. Although she has always been a devoted student of the Force and associate of Luke, yet she will always be a Mandalorian above anything else.

Her choice is now clear.

***

Planet Yavin 4

He doesn't know how long he's waited, but a faint rustling in the trees springs him awake as he withdraws his pistol at rapid speed. To his surprise, he is greeted by an old friend.

"You, I didn't expect to see you here."

"I'm an old friend," it was Ashoka Tano.

"What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same question."

"I'm here to see the kid. Kia sent me a message from Luke."

"I see. Being a Mandalorian, she's more independent and lives by her own rules."

"Yea, I noticed," Din replied, his voice going soft. "Where is she?"

"She said she's on a solo mission. Didn't say where. Why do you ask? Did something happen between the two of you?" Ashoka asked but the look on her face told him that she already knew.

"No," he says shortly, not wanting to get Kia in trouble. "What is this place?"

"It's nothing now, but someday it'll be a great school. We are hoping that Grogu will be its first student."

"I'd like to know how he's doing."

"He's doing fine."

"I wanna see him. Kia told me I could."

"Of course she did. She's more rebellious than we are."

"Luke mentioned an alliance. I recently obtained ownership of the Darksaber, making me the ruler of Mandalore."

"Yes. So I've heard. Luke has been worried about the recent increase in Imperial activities in the Outer Rim. That is why Kia was sent to be your advisor, if you're interested."

"First, I promised to help out a friend."

"Of course, but you always have us as allies. Let's take a walk."

Din followed her through the trees as she began discussing the kid, "I warned you that your attachment to Grogu would be difficult to let go of," Ashoka explained.

"He was a Mandalorian foundling in my care. I just wanna make sure he's safe."

"There is no place in the galaxy more safe than here with us. It is Grogu's choice in the end."

"I don't understand why you're alright with Skywalker's decision to train the kid when you wouldn't."

Ashoka stopped walking and inhaled sharply then says, "Because it was his choice. I can't control the wants of others."

"Then it is my choice to go see him."

"Of course, if that is what you wish," she says as she turns to look away and beyond the trees. When he glanced over his shoulder, that's when he saw him and Luke together.

"All right," he says, feeling very confident and determined to get closer. But he is stopped by Ashoka's words.

"Are you doing this for Grogu...or are you doing this for yourself?"

"I just..." he says and paused to pull out the small gift from his pocket, "I wanna give him this. Kia says I could see him."

"Kia is a powerful Jedi and very unorthodox, but she is not his teacher. Luke is. Are you giving him that so he will remember you?"

"No. As a Mandalorian foundling, he should have this. It's his right. Kia would understand."

"You like her, don't you?" She says inquisitively. "A foundling you say...Perhaps Grogu is a padawan now."

Din holds the gift in his hands, rubbing the metal in cloth between his fingers. If Kia was here, she would back him up on his. But then a thought dawned on him at this moment, "Why couldn't he be both a foundling and a padawan? Why couldn't he be a Mandalorian Jedi, like Kia?"

"That is for him to decide."

"Well, either way, this armor would protect him."

"If you're set on it, allow me to deliver it."

"I came all this way. He's right there."

"Luke is willing to form an alliance with you and the New Jedi Order. That is why he sent Kia to you, as well as giving you this secret location. But the child's education is not part of the deal. Unless, of course, Grogu chooses otherwise," she says as she gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "He misses you a great deal. But if he sees you, it would only make it more difficult for him."

Din stood there in silence for a moment. Ashoka is right. Grogu is safer here than traveling with him. His life is dangerous. Besides, he made a promise to Boba and he intends to keep it. He wonders where Kia is and if he'll get to see her again.

Din looks over his shoulder and hands Ashoka the gift, "Make sure he's protected."

Ashoka beams up at him as she takes the item from his hands and cradles it as Din turns around to walk away.

"So where are you headed now?" She asked.

"Tatooine."

"May the Force be with you, Mandalorian."

"I'm not sure what that means, but may the Force be with you, too," Din says as he disappears into the trees.

***

Several hours later, Luke is sitting on the floor of the newly constructed building made of stone and rocks. Luke reaches into his pocket and takes out the gift wrapped in cloth. He unwraps it and holds up a chainmail suit made of beskar as the baby cooed.

"The Mandalorian wanted you to have this," Luke says, holding up the tiny suit of armor. The child cooed again and reaches out to grab it, but Luke stops him. "But before you take it, I will give you a choice."

Then Luke takes out a lightsaber from a wooden box and ignites the green blade, then disengages it and placed it on the ground in front of him, "This belonged to my teacher, Master Yoda. Now I'm offering it to you. But you can only choose one. If you choose the armor, you can go back to your Mandalorian friend. However, you will be giving in to attachment and forsaking the ways of the Force. If you choose the lightsaber, you will be the first student in my academy and I will train you to be a great Jedi."

"What about choosing both?" A modulated, female voice echoed throughout the stone room.

"Kia, you're back," Luke says.

"Buir!" The baby cooed with his arms outstretched.

"What is that word he calls you?"

"It means parent in Mando'a."

"Oh, Kia," Luke breathed out and shakes his head.

"Master, meeting you and Leia was the best choice I've ever made. But I am a Mandalorian, and so is Grogu. I have made my decision. I will take the child and teach him myself, but also reunite him with his father, if that is what he wants."

"Well it seems to me, Grogu has made his choice," Luke says as the child picked up the beskar suit.

"Is that from him?" Kia blurts out, she had no idea Din had a gift made for him. "Oh that is so adorable!"

Kia walks up and picks up the baby and cradles him, "So what do you say, ad'ika. Would you like to see your father and be a Mandalorian Jedi?"

"Patu!" The baby babbled as he reaches out to hug her. Kia kisses his wrinkled forehead and says, "Ok, Grogu. Adventure awaits!"

"You have fallen for him, haven't you?" Luke says very calmly. Kia could never hide anything from him.

"As you said, he is a good man. Protective, loyal and caring. Can't say the same to the masters at the Coruscant Temple."

"Then there is only one thing left to say...he went to Tatooine."

"Thank you, Master Luke. May the Force be with you."

"And may the Force be with you, Master Kia."